Development and Effectiveness of a Mobile Application for Vulvar Self-examination: A Quasi-Experimental Study

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OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop a mobile application for vulvar self-examination and to examine its effect on performing vulvar self-examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a quasi-experimental study. Forty-seven women accepted to participate. The mobile application was uploaded to the women's phones and the women's vulvar self-examination practices were followed through the application for 6 months. Obtained data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and the McNemar's test. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 35.34 ± 9.85 years. Initially, out of all the participants, none performed vulvar self-examination, 95.7% did not regularly have their yearly gynecological examination, 29% did not have pap smear, and 91.5% had no information about vulvar self-examination. In the third month after the mobile application was downloaded, 68.1% were performing vulvar self-examination and this percentage decreased to 57.4% in the sixth month without a significant difference (p < .05). The women reported that they had difficulty in performing the examination in the first follow-up and did not have time to do it in the second follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The mobile application increased the rate of examination, and there was no significant difference in the number of the women performing the examination between the follow-ups.

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